1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a production method for an electronic chip component, and more particularly, to a production method for an electronic chip component in which a functional member, such as an external electrode, formed of paste, is provided on each end surface of a component body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, multiple electronic chip components have been used in various electronic devices. A specific example of an electronic chip component is a monolithic ceramic capacitor. In general, a monolithic ceramic capacitor includes a ceramic body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and incorporating first and second internal electrodes that oppose each other, and first and second external electrodes provided on end surfaces of the ceramic body.
In such a monolithic ceramic capacitor, the first and second external electrodes are formed by applying a conductive paste onto the end surfaces of the ceramic body and firing the conductive paste. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-266208 discloses the following method as a method for forming the first and second external electrodes.
First, as shown in FIG. 14A, one end surface of a ceramic body 103 is stuck to a plate 100 including a base plate 101 formed of stainless steel and an adhesive silicon rubber 102. Next, as shown in FIG. 14B, the other end surface of the ceramic body 103 is pressed against an application head 104, thereby forming a conductive paste layer 105 on the other end surface of the ceramic body 103, as shown in FIG. 14C. The conductive paste layer 105 is then fired to form a first external electrode 106 shown in FIG. 15A.
Next, as shown in FIG. 15B, the first external electrode 106 is pressed against a sheet 107 formed by a PET film 108 coated with a foamable and releasable adhesive 109. The adhesive force of the foamable and releasable adhesive 109 is higher than that of the silicon rubber 102. Thus, as shown in FIG. 15C, the ceramic body 103 is released from the plate 100 and is stuck to the sheet 107. By forming a conductive paste layer on the one end surface of the ceramic body 103 and firing the conductive paste layer in this state, a second external electrode is formed.
This publication describes that the above-described method can produce electronic chip components with a high working efficiency and a high production yield.
However, in the production method for the electronic chip component described in the publication, a plurality of holding jigs, namely, the plate 100 and the sheet 107, are necessary. Moreover, the relatively weak adhesive force of the silicon rubber 102 decreases with time, and the ceramic body 103 may thereby fall off the plate 100. In addition, when the ceramic body 103 is delivered between the different holding jigs, it may fall off or may be left on the plate 100. Hence, it is difficult to achieve a sufficiently high production yield.